Tread the Path at Dusk

Saten Ruiko · **Posted:** October 26th, 2010, 9:04 pm

Kyrina continued walking along with the others, no train of thought in general in her mind. It was turning out to be a nice day after all, so she was taking the time to enjoy it. She could have practiced her light-bending magic along the way if she wished, but figured it wasn't a very good idea to strain herself; after all, she had been more or less the last person to go to sleep the previous night, and it was better to be prepared and awake than...well, not...

Landerpurex · **Posted:** October 26th, 2010, 9:08 pm

OOC: Jeez kikori...I seem to have a knack for ignoring you lately...

As Caston conversed with the group, he sensed that someone was channeling, most likely Paige. What surprised him was that she tossed a small bit of water at him, catching him unaware. He wiped his face.

"Paige, why did you ask me about channeling more than one color?"

Kikori · **Posted:** November 1st, 2010, 3:51 pm

"To see just how similar you may be... Undoubtedly, you know the characteristics associated with every color of magic. Unfortunately for most magicians, they feel the need to practice one color. In the process, they become so deep-rooted to the backbone of that color's lifestyle that multi-color channeling is a rarity, and a spectacle. Despite some cases like me where other options are not available, there are many instances in which people may be able to better understand and potentially delve into the opposite color." She turned around, stopping her progress to look at Caston. "That miniature tidal wave you summoned outside Rurm was no calculated feat. It was anger being released in the form of what powers you do know you have. What makes the energy you spend different between your controlling the air and Adam's bending metal, or Mabel and Tahu's combined powers? Nothing. The mentality is the only difference. And you are the first I've met who's been able to let go of tradition to "feel the flaws" of their opposite color." Paige turned on her heel and once again resumed leading the party through the forest, wondering if she had enticed or scared the boy about the results of letting go to one's most deep-rooted restrictions.

Landerpurex · **Posted:** November 1st, 2010, 7:43 pm

Caston pondered Paige's words. Of course he had only just started channeling on a large scale, he didn't feel at all rooted or stuck in his color...

She was right, there's nothing that set his abilities apart from anyone else's other than his personality, the mentality that one has to stick to one color or type. But the fact remained that dealing with too much magic at once or overreaching one's own bounds can have catastrophic results. Tory was a living testament to that. Surrender yourself to the power, and it will consume you. Black was certainly the more dangerous and sinister of all the colors, but that didn't mean that you couldn't destroy yourself handling too much of the others. That's what the Institute was for, to teach responsible wizardry.

"I was somewhat easily able to augment my potential with my anger and frustration...but it was frightening, I wanted to let go. I wanted to drain that river, to flood the entire city and kill everyone, in spite of what I had told Adam." He paused.

"I'm afraid..."

Tahu 1000 · **Posted:** November 1st, 2010, 8:36 pm

Well, this girl sure knows a lot about magic.
I wonder what else she's hiding from us?
"It's interesting that you bring up mentality. While that is one, and perhaps the most important, aspect of channeling magic, it's not the only thing." Tahu interjected into Paige's speech.
"At the Institute, we do have classes in learning to think like mages of each color. They're rather new and are considered advanced studies, and some of the better students are able to almost perfectly predict the responses of a mage of another color. However, your color affinity goes deeper than just mentality, but into the very root of your nature. That's something that's extremely hard to change." added Mabel.
"For example, I can think like a blue mage, and often do, but, deep down, I like to resolve my problems by blasting them into nonexistence. Just because I'm smart, ingenious, or calculating about going about it, I'm still a red mage, not a blue." Tahu continued.
"Not to discourage you, but you're right to be afraid. It is quite possible for one's basic nature to change, but usually it only happens in response to a very catastrophic, life-altering event. You've had plenty of those, from what we've heard. However, even when such a change does bring about access to a new color of mana, it does so at the cost of one's previous affinity. That's what makes Dusk such a conundrum; he can maintain that duality within himself, not just for two opposing colors, but for the entire spectrum. Young lady, would you have any clue as to how he goes about doing that?" Mabel finished. There was plenty of time before they got to Windrow, and the two Institute mages wanted to press their newest companion for as much information as she had before they arrived.

Discrimin8 · **Posted:** November 1st, 2010, 8:39 pm

OOC: I got lost. Can someone catch me up?

Landerpurex · **Posted:** November 1st, 2010, 9:04 pm

Discrimin8 wrote:

OOC: I got lost. Can someone catch me up?

We're basically just walking along, talking about magic. We killed Tory, the crazy Black Wizard on the bridge just outside Rurm. We've just been walking along and chatting since then, lol.

Kikori · **Posted:** November 1st, 2010, 11:06 pm

"I told you, it's my lord's story to tell. But, you are right. What happened to him was... catastrophic. And what this party is, is supposed to prevent another catastrophe." Not stopping her walk this time, Paige turned to look at Tahu and Mabel from the corner of her eye. "The mages who wield multiple colors are able to be open to more personas than their own and assimilate what they are comfortable with into their lives. Imagine, then, if Adam were to spend years attempting to train himself to calculate, respond by logic, attempt to live near on apathetic in order to understand the perceptive, efficiency-based nature of a Blue mage, but keep his experiences and strong-willed Green self." There was a few seconds silence so this could sink in.

"Now, consider Caston. Blue. Calculating, intellectual, logical... Yet caught against his will in another person's quest, being taken around without a proper clue to go by and with a grudge in the back of his mind. What composes the core of a Red magician's powers? Impatience, strength, impulse... Not necessarily anger, but a desire to get in, conquer, and get out. What prevents a logical being from adopting these core values without losing sight of what they begin with? Simply the conflict between values, and whether it is too great or not to handle."

Tahu 1000 · **Posted:** November 2nd, 2010, 1:23 pm

Well, she's not telling. That's...irritating.
Should we have one of the black mages squeeze her when we get to Windrow?
Risky. Dusk's probably given her some sort of protection. Also, black is closer to blue than many people think; she could be a competent black mage herself.
Ignoring Paige's stonewalling on Dusk's backstory for the time being, Tahu and Mabel continued listening. She sure knows a lot about magic. "You make it sound easy. Channeling two colors requires years of discipline focused solely on achieving the state of mind for the second color and holding it. Very few people have the willpower and mental fortitude required to gain a second affinity. There's a reason why two-color mages are so rare."
"Red and blue are complete opposite colors at their very core," added Tahu. "Impatience and impulse undermine calculation and logic. While a red mage and a blue mage may manifest similar personalities, they are, at their cores, very different. Just because a blue mage looses their temper or acts rashly, without logic, doesn't make them instantly capable of channeling red mana. In theory, it's not impossible for one to channel two opposite colors, but the practicalities of doing so are near insurmountable."
I wonder...can she herself channel multiple colors?
May as well ask.
Mabel finished with "I'd not speak so lightly of such a feat unless you yourself have accomplished it."

Kikori · **Posted:** November 2nd, 2010, 2:21 pm

"For your intellect, I'd have expected more of you. I said earlier, there are cases like me where delving into other colors is impossible. And forgive me for not following the world's teachings of magic, given I've been living with my lord for years, but from my studies, most Blue mages in Caston's situation would meditate or simmer sooner than hurl a wave down a river. He glimpsed into the base emotion, not adopted it; that is the first step in what seems to be many on the road to adopting multiple color channeling... Wherever you found me implying that the ability can be learned overnight, however, is beyond me." Finishing in a sharp, finalizing tone, she turned back to the path and looked around. Indeed, there were small signs of decay here and there, but nothing Tory had mutated was still alive to cause trouble within the woods.

Riptide · **Posted:** November 2nd, 2010, 2:52 pm

OOC:FYI, reading at that magic stuff might help me, but not right now.
BIC: Jarrett had walked silently, he was rather hungry, and no one had answered him if they were too. So he caught up with Adam, and asked, "Adam, you can control minerals or metals, right? So, I'm a Green guy, people of the earth you can call it. I was wondering if you could maybe teach me along with Delon about manipulating metals. If could come in serious handy in our journey."
OOC: We're all being lazy, minus the guys talking about magic. So get moving.

Saten Ruiko · **Posted:** November 2nd, 2010, 7:06 pm

Kyrina had heard Paige vaguely mention her apparent complete inability to branch out before, but didn't want to interrupt when they were all talking. Despite Mabel's leading question, after the second time it really seemed like Paige was trying to hint at it somehow, so she went ahead and asked: "So...why is it impossible?"

Kikori · **Posted:** November 3rd, 2010, 10:38 am

OOC: We've -been- moving, Riptide.

BIC...

Paige's walk slowed, once again watching the memories within her head. "The events of my and my lord's stories are loosely intertwined, so I can not tell you all, but... I just remember, fire. Anger, screaming, bloodlust from everyone around me... Even just being less than a year old, I can remember those feelings. Being caught within that has taken away all my will to associate myself with the values of a Red mage, and the events of my home being lost left a scar on my ability to feel emotions. Therefore, it was naturally the opposite color of Red that I was most comfortable practicing, and it was convenient that my heart is scarcely able to interfere with my head."

Znath · **Posted:** November 3rd, 2010, 8:10 pm

"Mm... I think it is dangerous to associate feeling with types of magic as you would put it. It could easily result in accidental consequences like lashing out by accident.

As far as controlling other types I have never been able to create or control flames directly. But I have been able to channel energy into metal to heat it up or fuse two pieces together. I also would not mind trying out water. It has some weathering effects that could be very useful...
So then regarding metal, you should start how I did. Start first by being able to sense metal buried in rock and ground." Adam finishes while rummaging around in a pouch. He pulls out a spare nail he had and magnetizes it. "There is something interesting about iron that kind of shows one thing about metals that makes them easier to find." He ties a string to the middle and holds it out swaying until it continually points one direction. ""It heats up easier than stone and conducts energy different."

Saten Ruiko · **Posted:** November 3rd, 2010, 9:25 pm

It wasn't quite the answer Kyrina was expecting. It was still rather odd though, since it seemed to boil down to something like 'emotional trauma from my childhood causes me to not feel emotions so I cannot exhibit the anger red wizards require'. Or something. And not 'having the will' to do something hardly made it impossible, but rather just apathetic or lazy. If it was either of the two, Paige seemed to exude apathy perhaps, but not laziness.

"Then...why is it impossible for you to channel the other colors? It seems like Ra--Dusk would have been an excellent teacher on the matter, especially if you know so much about it?"

Kikori · **Posted:** November 3rd, 2010, 11:40 pm

"Red magic is hate, impatience, power, anger. I am largely apathetic to these. Green is willpower, growth, strength in character, an Earthly view. I am just a servant bound to the world with one tie. White is purity, charity, grace, caring. I have lived without contact of the people. Black is malice, cleverness, wit, subtlety. I am blunt. Need I proceed?" Feeling slightly more interrogated than questioned by now about why she is purely a Blue mage, Paige directed her eyes on the road ahead of her with her fullest concentration. The orb of water she had kept on hand as a weapon was now starting to spin around her hand, much like the form of an atom's movement.

Riptide · **Posted:** November 4th, 2010, 2:01 pm

OOC: Znath, I assume that little metal-bending paragraph was meant for me?

Saten Ruiko · **Posted:** November 4th, 2010, 6:29 pm

Taken aback, Kyrina descended back into silence as they walked along. "N...no, not if you don't want to..." If she didn't want to talk about it, why did she go out of her way to say "cases like me" every time she talked about inability to channel other colors? Sheesh...

Landerpurex · **Posted:** November 4th, 2010, 6:48 pm

"I think I'm beginning to understand why I have this potential...it isn't just a capacity to tap into completely opposite emotions, but also a potential to be able to mentally and physically deal with more than one color at once. This helps my cause as well..." He hefted the ancient staff the Headmaster had given him. "You see, I haven't been channeling in a controlled or trained manner for very long so I'm not exactly rooted in my color. Dusk brings out these other emotions in me, emotions that I don't particularly like. But they appear to have the potential to be incredibly useful. I'll be sure to speak to the Headmaster about this once we reach Windrow. Maybe he can help me."

Not sensing any danger in the forest, Caston assumed that Paige's orb of water was a sign of her frustration. He understood what it was like to be interrogated about one's abilities, he was for years before earning his parents' approval.

He attempted to playfully dissipate her orb, a smirk on his face the whole time. Perhaps he could teach her to lighten up.

Kikori · **Posted:** November 4th, 2010, 11:05 pm

(OOC: Close. A meditative act that prevents potential frustration.)

Kyrina's change of tone struck an odd note within Paige. Regret...? Paige looked at the order of events in reverse and realized she had been the second to talk about the improbability of multiple color use, but the first to relate herself with it. True, it was supposed to be an example only needing stating once, but given she was being asked to open her mind of magical knowledge to the adventurers, why had she not expected to be asked in detail about this? That made her realize the feeling she'd stirred by hearing Kyrina's note in her response was... remorse. Having simply followed Dusk's instructions to the best of her ability and lived content with confinement, it's one feeling she was surprised to feel and recognize at once.

The abruptness of it caused her to ignore Caston's speech, and even stop walking as she began to dwell over the range of feelings she'd been ignoring since meeting the party. Scarce, but there, and at the moment, overshadowed by a bad feeling over making Kyrina feel bad as well. Paige's grip on the water, weak already from her lack of concentration to it, was taken over by Caston without Paige paying it any mind. Instead, she looked at Kyrina as the girl drew closer. "Sorry."

(OOC: Yay, character development!)

Tread the Path at Dusk

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